Out-of-county judge request denied in OWI homicide case

8:33 PM,
Oct. 11, 2013

Timothy Saavedra

Written by

B.C. Kowalski
Stevens Point Journal Media

A Rudolph man accused of killing two Wisconsin Rapids women in a drunken driving crash entered a not guilty plea to homicide charges after a judge denied the suspect's request for an out-of-county judge.

Portage County Circuit Judge Thomas Eagon denied a motion filed by attorneys for Timothy Saavedra, 23, seeking a judge from outside the county. Defense attorney James Kurszewski asked for Portage County judges to recuse themselves, citing among other things "intense media scrutiny" in the case, and a familial relationship between the prosecutor in the case and the judge of another court ...